


What’s Good For Me

by bayoublackjack



Series: Love in London [36]
Category: Royal Pains
Genre: Break Up, Declarations Of Love, Divorce, F/M, Love Confessions, Male-Female Friendship, Motherhood, POV Divya Katdare, Rejection, Single Parents, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-13 14:16:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4525152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bayoublackjack/pseuds/bayoublackjack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After she and Rafa come to a conclusion about their marriage, Divya began to think about the future only to be knocked off balance by a confession from Jeremiah.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What’s Good For Me

After Joan rushed out, Divya left Molly’s flat and headed home to sort through her own problems.  Since extending his stay in London, Rafa had taken up temporary residence in the townhouse with her and Jeremiah.  Just one more situation that needed to be addressed as far as Divya was concerned.  It seemed to be a bit of a miracle that Jeremiah hadn’t gotten fed up enough to kick her out once in for all.  As she crossed the threshold, she made a silent vow to make things up to Jeremiah in some way or form, but first…she needed to see Rafa.

When she found Rafa, he was in their room packing his things into a suitcase.  “Are you going somewhere?”

“Argentina,” he answered, looking up from his task.

“So soon?”

“Actually, querida…I think it’s been a long time coming.”

Divya sighed softly.  “So we’re really doing this?”

Rafa nodded.  “It seems so.”

Divya walked over to the bed and took a seat on the edge.  She gestured for Rafa to join her.  He reached for her hand and she held it between hers on her lap.  “These last few months together have been…”

“Amazing,” Rafa supplied with a warm smile.

“Absolutely,” Divya agreed.  “But…I think we might have been a bit impetuous when we decided to get married.”  She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.  “I do love you, Rafa, but I feel as though we should have taken more time to get to know each other better.”

Rafa exhaled sharply but nodded in agreement.  “You’re probably right.”

“So I hope that moving forward, we’ll rectify that mistake,” Divya told him.  “But first…we need to end our marriage.”

Following their talk, Rafa checked into a hotel for the evening.  The next day, he caught a flight back to Argentina, but not before they began the process to dissolve marriage, which technically was still pending due to Rafa’s foreign status.

Perhaps it was kismet.  If they would have delayed the evitable any longer then their marriage would have been official in the UK and they would have had to wait a full year to begin divorce proceedings.

A few days later, Divya withdrew to the library with one of the books she had gotten for expectant mothers, but she barely got through the first couple of pages before she retreated into her own head.  She knew separation had been the right decision, but the townhouse seem depressingly quiet now that Rafa was gone.  After Joan decided to move back home and work things out with John, once again, it was just Divya and Jeremiah alone in their big house.  Though she supposed it wouldn’t be just the two of them for much longer.

How in the hell was she going to do this?  She wasn’t mentally prepared to raise a baby on her own.  She was barely capable of navigating her own struggles on a daily basis.  Now she needed to get used to the idea that her lapses in judgement were no longer just her problem.  Every mistake she made would also affect her child as well.

Divya closed her eyes and took a cleansing breath.  She felt nauseated but she wasn’t sure if it was the stress or a simple case of morning sickness.  However, that mental query was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.  When she opened her eyes, Jeremiah was standing in front of her holding a cup and saucer.

Divya greeted him with a warm smile.  “More peppermint tea?”

“No.  It’s a special blend,” Jeremiah informed her.  “I’ve been reading about the best teas for expectant mothers.”

“You have?” Divya asked with amusement.

“It’s an area of high contention.”

Divya quirked a brow.  “Tea?”

Jeremiah nodded.  “It turns out that even the ones that you would assume would be good like ginger can be quite harmful in high doses.  A lot of midwifes advocate red raspberry tea, but some experts believe it contributes to early term contractions and, in some cases, miscarriage,” he relayed.  “The general consensus, however, seems to be that all tea should only be consumed in moderation.  That being said, homemade blends are the best.”  He glanced down into the cup he was holding.  “Decaffeinated black tea, lemon and orange peels with honey and a splash of pomegranate juice.”  He looked up at her.  “It’s good for lowering blood pressure and boosting immunity.  It’s also good for the skin,” he added as he passed the tea to her.  “Not that you need help with that.”

Divya chuckled softly.  “Thank you.”  She took a small sip and nodded in approval.  Resting her tea on her lap, she looked at him with a grateful expression.  “Why are you so good to me?”

Jeremiah stared at her, looking conflicted.  “Because…”  He faltered before continuing.  “I love you.”

“Oh Jeremiah.”  Divya set her tea aside and scooted to the edge of her seat to cover his hand with one of hers in a friendly gesture.  “I love you too.”

Jeremiah looked down at their hands.  “No,” he said with a small voice.  “I’m  _in_ love with you.”

Divya’s eyes went wide.  “What?”

“I have been for a long time,” Jeremiah confessed, his voice as even as always despite his words.  “Since the Hamptons,” he added, looking up to meet her eyes.  “I could give you a specific date, but I’ll need to take a moment to trace it back to the onset.”

“That’s not necessary,” Divya said.  It was her turn to avert her eyes.  “Jeremiah…” she began, trying and failing to think of the best way to tell him that she didn’t feel the same.  “I…I’m not…I don’t…”

“I know,” Jeremiah cut her off quickly.

Divya sighed softly and forced herself to meet his gaze.  “I’m sorry.”

“Please don’t say that,” Jeremiah replied.  “I’m sure you mean well and I don’t fault you for feeling the way you feel, but apologizing just makes it seem like you pity me.”

“I promise that’s not the case,” Divya insisted.  Jeremiah responded with a simple nod.  After that they both fell silent and Divya could feel the tension building between them.  She tried to think of something to say, but nothing seemed to fit the bill.  Fortunately, Jeremiah saved her the trouble.

“I don’t consider myself to be a naïve person,” Jeremiah began.  “I do have some degree of self-awareness.  I know how I must come off to people.  I suppose that’s why I spent so long working as a researcher before my therapist convinced me to give concierge medicine a try.  Social interactions have never been my strong suit.”  He paused thoughtfully.  “Your influence has helped me in a lot of ways.  I feel as though I’m a better doctor and, I hope, a better friend.”

“You are without a doubt the  _best_ man I’ve ever known,” Divya said as she gave his hand a gentle squeezed.  “And that’s not just lip service.  I feel  _so_ incredibly honour to be your friend.”

Jeremiah gave another quick nod and turned his eyes to their hands once more.  “You’re my best friend too.”


End file.
